Dundee is one of six cities across Europe to have joined forces to drive green urban futures across the continent.
Through the 城市ReLeaf initiative, Dundee aims to enable their citizens to implement nature-based solutions to issues such as air pollution and mental health problems.
城市ReLeaf 是15人之间的合作吗 学术 and private sector partners as well as the cities of Athens (Greece), 卡斯凯伊斯(葡萄牙)邓迪, 曼海姆(德国), Riga (Latvia) and Utrecht (Netherlands).
The Horizon Europe-funded project will last for four years and builds on research into citizen observatories led by Professor Mel Woods, 来自邓迪大学.
Professor Woods and colleagues from the University will work with Dundee City Council to deliver a pilot monitoring a range of environmental issues that relate to the built environment.
Thousands of members of the public will be asked to install sensors and use mobile phone apps to capture data on the local environment.
By gathering evidence and raising awareness of the problems they face, citizens can organise an effective grassroots, 社区, 或者地方政府的回应.
到2050年，这一数字预计将达到83.7% of Europe’s population will live in cities, a marked increase from the estimated 72% in 2015.
While cities provide opportunities and infrastructure, residents also face threats such as harmful levels of air pollution and the heat island effect, which is becoming increasingly severe due to climate change.
Nature-based solutions such as the expansion of urban greenspace and tree planting can provide cooling effects, 减少空气污染, 改善心理健康.
Several existing initiatives support this approach, but decision making is still a challenge for authorities due to the lack of reliable data to inform the locations that would most benefit from these measures.
伍兹教授说, “Citizen science along with other novel data streams like low-cost sensor networks, and wearable technologies can offer new insights to address these challenges.
“Building on the successful design and co-creation methods and tools we have developed, Dundee citizens and communities will be engaged to support the distribution of the sensors.
“我们希望生产新的产品, co-created geographic mapping of grey and green spaces, 包括流动性和幸福感, with datasets that include air quality.
“These will be used to transform urban strategy and value relating to green spaces and realise their longer-term benefits for climate resilience.”
Other outputs include an interactive public-facing map displaying current land use integrated with sensor data around fields of interest such as a tree registry, temperature and humidity monitoring, air quality monitoring and bioclimatic comfort.
By leveraging citizen science for public sector innovation, 城市ReLeaf aims to develop data ecosystems to support climate change adaptation, 绿色基础设施, 以及城市设计规划.
除了数据收集, bespoke 社区 and culture labs will take place in each participating city in collaboration with local designers, 艺术家, 以及公民协会.
This will see them produce data visualisations alongside future scenario building and rapid prototyping games to develop greening solutions appropriate for individual communities.
邓迪市议会领袖, 约翰亚历山大说, “We are delighted to be able to take part in this exciting research with the people of the city, which will provide a fresh perspective on how green spaces in Dundee are used.
“I’m also looking forward to finding out what opportunities there are to expand on and improve the quality of these spaces through this place-based approach.”